DETERMINATION OF HYDROPHILE-LIPOPHILE BALANCE (HLB) OF BOVINE MUCIN FOR POSSIBLE EMULSIFYING PROPERTIES

Abstract

The Hydrophile-Lipophile balance (HLB) of bovine mucin was evaluated. Mucin was processed from the small intestine of freshly slaughtered cow via precipitation with chilled acetone, air-drying and pulverization. Series of emulsion were formed with bovine mucin and paraffin oil, in varying ratios, the most stable emulsion with the least creaming level was found to be mucin-oil ratio of 1:9, after a period of 7 days and the HLB value of mucin calculated according to standard methods. The HLB value of mucin was 8.4. These HLB value fell within the range of 8 – 18, that is characteristics of oil-in-water (o/w) emulgents.